Attachment for writing machines



Feb. 1, 1938. J Q SHERMAN 2,106,765

ATTACHMENT FOR WRITING MACHINES Filed April 21, .1953

Patented Feb. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to an accessory for typewriters and analogouswriting machines whereby the written material may be indented :rphysically impressed in the writing material sheet by scoring or bybreaking the fiber of the paper or other writing material so that thewriting pigment will penetrate more deeply and thereby produce anindelible record. The invention pertains to an improved means forapplying the check protector idea to material written upon a typewriter.It has heretofore been proposed to sheathe the platen roll of atypewriter with an enclosure having a roughened surface by which thewritten material is indented, which, however, at all times retains itsposition relative to the writing material and the platen.Acknowledgement is also made of prior attempts to utilize rotary discsof carbon or transfer material for manifolding written records.

Differing, however, from both of these prior endeavors, the presentinvention involves the use of an underlying body of material having aroughened surface, the'configurations of which are to be impressed inthe writing material, and continuously and automatically effectingrelative shifting movement of the sheet of writing material and theunderlying roughened material during the writing process whereby thesurface configurations of the latter may be reproduced in the writingmaterial in progressively changing positions. a

The object of the invention is to improve the construction as well asthe means and mode of operation of indelibly impressing written matterin a sheet of paper or other writing material,

whereby such means and apparatus will not only be simple and cheap inconstruction, but it will be more eificient in use, automatic inoperation, applicable to ordinary typewriters now in use, unlikely toget out of repair, and quickly movable into and out of writing position.

A further object of the invention is to provide an indenting or scoringmeans applicable to ordinary typewriters which may produce aprogressively changing configuration of the protective indentations orscorings which will be distinctive in appearance and exceedinglydifiicult to counterfeit, and to provide a vertically and laterallyadjustable support therefor.

A further object of the invention is to provide an indenting or scoringdevice which may be so cheaply produced as to permit it to be discardedafter being used a few times, thereby insuring clean, sharp and deepmarkings upon successive written areas.

A further object of the inventionis to provide a suitable and convenientsupporting means for the indenting or scoring deviceupon which suchdevices are quickly and easily interchangeable.

A further object of the invention is to provide 5 a device embodying thedesirable features and characteristics hereinafter set forth.

With the above primary and other incidental objects in view, as willmore fully appear in the specification, the invention consists of thefeal0 tures of construction, the parts and combinations thereof, and themode of operation, or their equivalents, as hereinafter deseribed'andset forth in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawing,

wherein is shown the preferred,- but obviously not necessarily the onlyform of embodiment of the invention, Fig. l is a front elevation of apopular style of typewriter to which the present invention has beenapplied and showing the indenting or 2 scoring disc and its supportassociated therewith. Fig. 2 is a. detail sectional view illustratingthe relationof the indenting or scoring device to the platen roll, thepaper and the imprinting type of the typewriter. Fig. 3 is a detail viewillustrating the detachable mounting of the indenting or scoring device.Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional,

view.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughoutthe several views.

Referring to the drawing, l is a writing machine having a platen roll 2about which a sheet of paper or other writing material 3 isprogressively fed past a writing position where it is subject to theimpact of the writing machine type bars 4, against anoverlying inkedribbon, as is customary, by which pigment is transferred to the struckarea, as is the usual practice.

It has long been the practice to fill in the amount upon a check byindenting or scoring the area of the letters and figures, thus enablingthe ink to penetrate into' the body of the check and prevent the erasureof the written amount. Such protective feature is provided in checkwriting machines by use of special type having corrugated or indentedfaces. It is frequently desirable to fill in checks upon a typewriter orother writing machine and also equally desirable to write or fill inlegal documentsand other records in. The present invention provides asimple and inexpensive means for achieving such results upon an ordinarytypewriter, the type of which have not been specially prepared for suchpurpose.

by indelibly impressing the written matter there- To this end, there isprovided in the present instance a rotary disc 5 of relatively hard butpreferably flexible material which is operatively positioned behind thesheet of paper or other writing material intermediate such sheet and theplaten roll 2 with its peripheral margin gripped therebetween. Inpractice this indenting or scoring disc 5 has been made of hard rubber,the surface of which is sharply corrugated. Such hard rubber discpossesses a reasonable degree of flexibility and yet it presents a hard,unyielding, sharp toothed surface against which the typewriter type 4impinge, forcibly impressing the writing sheet 3 against the disc andindenting or scoring the surface of the letter imprinted thereon. Thesurface configuration oi the disc may comprise parallel straightv-shaped corrugations, as are shown in the drawing, or such roughenedsurface may comprise circular or spiral corrugations, or it may consistof a criss-cross design or a design of irregular configuration. Whateverthe design may be, the constant rotation of the disc as the writingprogresses presents this embossed design in progressively changingposition. For example, employing the parallel straight corrugations,illustrated in the drawing, one written letter may have such lineshorizontal while the next will be slightly inclined and each succeedingletter further inclined toward the vertical until finally the letter iswritten whereon the indented or scored lines are 1 substantiallyvertical, and thereafter each succeeding letter will have its scorelines inclined progressively in reverse direction until again theyassume horizontal'relation. Obviously many intricate, pleasing andeffective designs may be produced by varying the surface configurationsof the disc.

The disc I is supported coincident with'the writing position of themachine and with its peripheral margin gripped between the writing sheetand platen roll and the tangential point thereof, by a supporting arm icarrying at its end a pivotal stud I engaging a central hole in the discI which is thereby mounted for rotary motion. The pivotal mounting stud8 is preferably provided with a laterally extending lip or flange 9which serves to temporarily retain the disc I in position upon the stud,but does not interfere with nor prevent quick removal and replacement.The arm I is provided with a serrated, segmental head III, the peripheryof which is provided with ratchet teeth II. This head It is pivoted atI! to an adjustable carrier or bracket II slidingly adjustablevertically upon a standard ll to which it is secured in its adjustedposition by the set screw I 5. A pawl ll, upon the bracket or carrierll, engages the peripheral ratchet teeth of the segmental head toholdthedisc sup: porting arm 1 in any one of numerous positionsv of adjustment.The supporting standard it is laterally adjustable relative to thetypewriter i to present the embossing or scoring disc I in properrelation to the writing position. As the writing operation progresses,the travel of the platen carriage, and with it the platen roll 2 andrecord sheet 3, transmits to the pivotally mounted disc I a rotarymotion about the stud 8 due to the frictional engagement of theperipheral portion of the disc with the writing sheet and platen roll.Such rotary motion of the disc presents the surface corrugations thereofin constantly changing relation with the record sheet 3, thereby varyingthe impressed design of succeeding letters and figures, or not,depending upon the design of the corrugations.

To the contrary, the design of the corrugations sion.

may be so arranged on the disc that succeedin portions will always bepresented in the same relative position at the writing point. In anyevent the rotation of the disc presents a different working area toreceive each succeeding impres- By vertical adjustment of the discsupporting arm, different concentric areas of the disc may be presentedin operating position until the entire surface of the disc has beenutilized and by further upward movement it may be adjusted toinoperative position, as desired.

While for illustrative purposes the invention has been illustrated anddescribed as a rotary disc, it is to be understood that the embossingelement may comprise other forms than disclike and in lieu of having arotary travel movement past writing position in unison with thereciprocatory movement of the platen, such embossing element may bemounted for lineal travel in unison with the platen or may be connectedfor reciprocation in unison therewith.

Likewise the embossing material carried by the supporting arm need notbe movable during use. Rotary motion, while desirable, is not essential.

While a pawl and ratchet adjustment for the supporting arm isillustrated, it is obvious that a tight frictional joint orinterengaging clutch faces upon the connecting parts will be effective.Sincesuch connections are well known and form. no part per se of theinvention they have not been illustrated.

When making manifold copies, wherein .only the original writing is to beprotected, or when the multiple copies are so thick that the embossedimpression is ineffective through all the copies, the material may befirst written in the usual manner without using the embossing device andthen by adjustment of the supporting arm the embossing disc may bedropped behind the uppermost sheet only, which is the original writing,

and the matter may then be rewritten thus effecting the protectiveimprinting or embossing in the original writing only and also doubleinking the protected writing.

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thusprovided a device of the character described possessing the particularfeatures of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but whichobviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions,detail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from theprinciple involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.

While in order to comply with the statute, the invention has beendescribed in language more or less specific as to structural features,it is to be understood'that the invention is not limited to the specificfeatures shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosedcomprise the preferred form of several modes of putting the inventioninto effect, and the invention is therefore claimed in any of its formsor modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a relatively hard flexible disc havingparallel corrugations, said disc being centrally perforated forrevolubly mounting upon a support, and adapts to be positioned behind arecord sheet to receive the pressure of the writing operation wherebythe corrugated surface of the disc will be impressed in the recordsheet, but in progressively different angular relation.

2. Embossing means for use with a writing machine wherein a section ofroughened material is to be positioned behind a sheet or record materialbeing inscribed in the writing machine, characterized by a supporttherefor including an arm on which the roughened material is carried, aratchet head upon said arm, a carrier to which the arm is pivoted, and apawl on the carrier engaging with the ratchet head to hold the arm inany one of numerous different positions of adjustment.

3. Embossing means for use with a writing machine wherein a section ofroughened material is to be positioned behind a sheet of record materialbeing inscribed in the writing machine, characterized by a supporttherefor including an arm on which the roughened material is carried, acarrier to which the arm is pivoted, said carrier being adjustable bothvertically and horizontally relative to the writing machine, and meansfor releasably holding the arm in any one or several positions ofpivotal adjustment relative to the 10 carrier.

JOHN Q. SHERMAN.

